Long live the King – Kings Plus Grand Tourer swag reviewed

Forget the “canvas coffin” days of old; the Big Daddy has finally met its match. Kings’ new Grand Tourer range is luxury for the rest of us.

Back in the day, if you wanted a swag that didn’t leak like a sieve or leave you sleeping on the hard deck, you had to fork out a month’s mortgage. Then the Big Daddy rolled into camp. It was pretty much the opposite of a Rolls-Royce, but it was cheap, cheerful, and got the job done. We’ve all seen them strapped to roof racks from the Cape to the Corner Country. It became the default setting for the budget-conscious tourer because, frankly, the price was impossible to beat.

But let’s be honest; it was never exactly “luxury.” It was more like a canvas coffin that kept the mozzies off while you dreamt of a better mattress. To get something with actual features, you usually had to look at brands that cost as much as a new set of shocks. Kings has finally decided to bridge that gap with the Plus range. We took the new Grand Tourer swags out into the bush to see if they’ve actually managed to outdo their own legend.

The King Grand Tourer comfort gap

We lined up the Big Daddy Deluxe MKII against the new Grand Tourer King Single and Double. The price difference is there, but so is the quality; and that’s kind of the whole point here.

At the time of writing, the Big Daddy Deluxe MKII combo (including Kings’ lithium rechargeable 2-in-1 LED light and fan) can be had for around $239, which remains ridiculous value for an entry-level swag. That pricing alone explains why they’re everywhere from the Cape to the Corner Country.

The Big Daddy is noticeably more basic. The canvas is on the thinner side, and the 70mm mattress is about as sophisticated as a slab of cardboard. It’s fine if you’re young and bulletproof, but for the rest of us, it’s a bit of a struggle.

In the Big Daddy, you’re also fighting for space. Sure, it’s huge, but there’s nowhere to put your gear, so you end up sharing your sleeping bag with your muddy boots. And if it starts raining? You better hunker in for the night, because getting in and out isn’t exactly graceful. It’s a decent rig for a quick overnight stay, but it’s not somewhere you’d want to be pinned down for days while the weather turns ugly. If you need the extra room, the Kings Plus Grand Tourer Double Swag is designed to solve these storage gripes.

Smart design meets the scrub

The Grand Tourer range feels like it belongs in a different league. It’s as if someone actually sat down and thought about what it’s like to camp in the real world.

Pricing-wise, you are stepping up. The Grand Tourer King Single sits around $479, while the Double lands closer to $560 at the time of writing, depending on what bundles Kings are running. As always with Kings, prices do fluctuate with sales and promos — but even at full noise, it’s still well under what most premium swags ask.

The standout feature is the covered vestibule. It sounds like marketing fluff until it actually pours with rain. Being able to climb into your swag without dragging half the sky’s water inside with you is a genuine luxury.

That vestibule also means you can keep the head and foot of the swag open for a breeze even when the weather is rubbish. Most swags turn into a sauna the second you zip the storm flaps, but the Grand Tourer keeps the air moving. The 80mm eggshell mattress is also a genuine step up — it supports your weight instead of bottoming out straight onto the dirt.

Cracking the Kings Grand Tourer spec sheet

Looking at the boxes, the numbers back up the “Plus” branding. The Grand Tourer uses a 440GSM poly-cotton canvas, which is a significant step up in durability over the Big Daddy’s 400GSM ripstop. It’s built to handle the odd stray branch or a heavy dusting of red dirt without complaining. The floor is a 550GSM PVC bucket design, which is exactly what you want when the ground turns into a bog.

The hardware has been beefed up too. The pegs are thick steel with a flat striking plate, which is a massive upgrade over the usual bent-wire rubbish. You also get a proper carry bag included. If you’ve ever pulled up into camp at the end of a bull dust day you know why this matters. It keeps your bedding clean and fends off some light rain.

The verdict: Is it worth the upgrade?

At the end of the day, you get what you pay for, and Kings has always understood that better than most. The Big Daddy combo at roughly $239 is still a cracking deal for someone who only heads bush once or twice a year. It’s simple, honest, and does exactly what it says on the box.

But if you’re a regular tourer, the Grand Tourer is the smarter long-term play. For a few hundred bucks more, you’re getting better canvas, a far better mattress, proper wet-weather usability, and a design that doesn’t make you fight your gear every single night.

It costs more, but it also feels like it should.

If you want a swag that’ll realistically survive a lap of the map and keep you comfortable while doing it, the Grand Tourer has officially knocked the Big Daddy off his perch and offers a serious alternative to the bigger brands. Better thought out, better built, and still priced in a way that makes sense for real-world touring.

Things we like:

• The vestibule keeps your bedding dry and your boots outside.
• Eggshell mattress is a massive win for side-sleepers.
• Huge ventilation options for those stinking hot nights.
• Heavy-duty pegs that actually stay in the ground.

Not so much:

• The Double is a heavy bit of kit to hoist onto a high roof rack.
• More features mean more poles to fiddle with during setup.

If you want a swag that’ll actually last a lap of the map and keep you comfortable while doing it, the Grand Tourer has officially knocked the Big Daddy off his perch. It’s a better experience, plain and simple.

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